GUILTY CO - Tyler, 4, & William Jensen, 2, die in overheated SUV, Grand Mesa, 27 Nov 2012

[tlcya]

It would be intersting to know if there was any life insurance on the children.

 

[Perodicticus potto]

From what I understand, catalytic converters on modern cars make carbon monoxide poisoning much, much less likely than it was in the past, even when the car is running in an enclosed space. In fact, it's so much less likely that people in rich countries have largely given up on it as a suicide method.

Someone who was trying to fake a CO poisoning, however, wouldn't necessarily know that.

 

[MayraMM]

The kids were playing in the snow shortly before getting back in the car. If they were playing in the parking lot, they could have eaten snow contaminated with antifreeze or something, you know, pretending they were eating snow cones.

 

[tiredblondy]

Any news?

 

[mikeysmommom]

http://www.nbc11news.com/localnews/...-family-overwhelmed-by-support-182218021.html

"I got to know [Heather] too well for my own comfort," Casto said. "She popped a lot of pills, she smoked a lot of weed, she drank a lot of alcohol and was a user. To top it off, she would use anybody for anything she possibly could."

Casto said she stopped being friends with Heather shortly after Casto moved next door to her last November. Casto recounted Heather locking her sons in their rooms and leave them for hours.

"You could hear her screaming and yelling at those kids through the walls, cussing them out," Casto said. "They would sit in their bedrooms for hours and hours on end just screaming at the top of their lungs ... she would lock them in their bedrooms because she didn't want to deal with them."

Casto says she knows of three separate people who contacted the Department of Human Services about Heather, but nothing came of it.

"When she wanted the boys to go to sleep she would give them Tylenol, she would give them Nyquil, she would give them numerous things to make them go to sleep at night so they would sleep," she said.

Casto believes Heather intentionally killed her two sons because "she didn't want to be a mother." Meanwhile, Casto waits for justice while mending the heartache over the boys' deaths.

 

[Wolf Dreamer]

The cause of death in this case was released - hyperthermia - those poor boys cooked.

http://www.krextv.com/news/around-the-region/Cause-of-Jensen-Boys-Death-Released-186066592.html

 

[Wolf Dreamer]

Don;t think anyone posted this article from last month

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/articles/daughter-wife-mother-in-turmoil/

 

[marycarney]

Hyperthermia? What the heck???

 

[Myanna]

And the coroner ruled it an accident? Hmmmm....

Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk 2

 

[Wolf Dreamer]

Hyperthermia? What the heck???

At a guess she had the boys belted in, possibly sedated with nyquil, and put the car's heating on high. It probably wouldn't take long with the windows up

There's some interesting stuff here on child hyperthermia in vehicles.

http://www.ggweather.com/heat/

Study of temperature rise in enclosed cars on 16 dates between May 16 and Aug. 8, 2002.
Ambient temperature were between 72 and 96 degrees F.
Dark Blue mid-side sedan with medium grey interior
Also tested with windows “cracked”

STUDY CONCLUSIONS

Average elapsed time and temperature rise
10 minutes ~ 19 deg F
20 minutes ~ 29 deg F
30 minutes ~ 34 deg F
60 minutes ~ 43 deg F
1 to 2 hours ~ 45-50 deg F]

I believe the boys were in the car at least 90 minutes

 

[Wolf Dreamer]

And the coroner ruled it an accident? Hmmmm....

Sent from my VS840 4G using Tapatalk 2

but note that the sheriff's office is still investigating.

There's some pretty angry people on Facebook.

 

[jjenny]

Hyperthermia? What the heck???

She had the car on, then the heater was likely on as well.
Are they seriously debating on whether charge her or not?
She left two helpless children in the car, for crying out loud.
:banghead:

 

[mikeysmommom]

http://www.gjsentinel.com/breaking/...ting-in-mothers-suv-coroner-rules-deaths-acci

She needs to be in jail she killed those boys IMO!How much more negligent can a mother be? I am so sick of children dying horrible deaths because of a moms selfishness.If she wanted to entertain a man why leave 2 small babies in a car alone!

 

[jjenny]

What is wrong with some prosecutors today? Over the summer, a number of people around here left their children in cars and these children died of overheating. I have no doubt it's a horrible way to die.
These people who leave children in cars are rarely prosecuted because they supposedly forget their children were in the car. I don't agree with that. Russians just forbid adoptions of Russian children by US citizens over one such case. Man left his adopted child in a car, child died, but this man was found not guilty. But now, has it come to this-you can knowingly leave you children in the car and not be prosecuted?
According to what has been reported, this woman knew her children were in the car, she left them there so she could meet up with some man-yet they are still debating on whether to prosecute her? This makes me really angry.

 

[marycarney]

I - on some level - 'understand' the accidental leaving of a child in a car on a hot day, ok? Sort of. But this happened in Colorado in late November. I cannot wrap my head around this being in any way, shape or form an ACCIDENT.

 

[mikeysmommom]

YES! Mother finally arrested about time !


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/16/heather-jensen-arrested-sons-death-suv_n_2491201.html

A Mesa County coroner ruled that the boys died accidentally from hyperthermia, station KJCT reported. But their 24-year-old mother was charged with two counts of child abuse resulting in death, two counts of criminally negligent homicide, and one count of false reporting to authorities, according to the sheriff's office.

 

[mikeysmommom]

I - on some level - 'understand' the accidental leaving of a child in a car on a hot day, ok? Sort of. But this happened in Colorado in late November. I cannot wrap my head around this being in any way, shape or form an ACCIDENT.

This was not an Accident I agree!There is much more info in the comments section but the poster did not mention the msn they got it from. As far as hot cars I have come to believe that 99% are done on purpose.It really has become a trend and most get no punishment by the Law.The children still wind up dead in a painful death,deprived of a future and no one not even a parent has that right JMO.

 

[SwampMama]

Arrest warrant with very specific and detailed information

http://kdvr.com/2013/01/16/mother-arrested-in-death-of-2-boys-left-alone-in-running-suv/

 

[SwampMama]

So she left the kids in the car unattended for about 65 minutes and the heat was on high and the doors were locked where the kids could not open them.

Tests showed that the SUV reached a temp of above 130 degrees after having the doors closed and the heat on high for an hour.

Basically she cooked the children to death. She was in her lover's vehicle for over an hour, smoking a joint and having sex while her kids were roasting to death.

From the arrest warrant:

36. On 11/30/12, 12/04/12, and 12/11/12 Inv. Ehlers conducted experiments on Heather’s vehicle. Carbon Monoxide showed no levels that would cause harm on humans. However, he tested the heat inside the vehicle twice, with the vehicle at the approximate location of where the incident took place.
• The first test was with the heat all the way on the hot setting, the fan at medium, and two windows cracked. The temperature at the start of the test was between 48 and 52 degrees. After half an hour the temperature inside the vehicle jumped to 114-123 degrees. After an hour and a half the temperature was between 127-145 degrees.
• The second test was with the windows rolled up, the heat at the highest setting, and the fan speed at high. The temperature at the start of the test was 48-50 degrees. After 30 minutes it jumped to 125-132 degrees. After an hour it was 130-136 degrees.

 

[SwampMama]

Interesting article about the mom.

"A sister, a former roommate and a current neighbor described Jensen as a loving wife and mother, but immature, neglectful and a substance abuser following a heavily medicated childhood. Jensen’s sister, Tanya Scott of Florida, recalls her father “having to ween” Jensen off prescribed pills.

“We’d go to the store and she’d run into aisle displays, she was so medicated,” Scott said, speaking of her sister’s youth."

"Heather was very young mentally for her years ... she does not have the mindset of a 24-year-old. Her mother tried to keep her naive and as child-like as possible ... had her believing in Santa until age 13.”

“Her mom had her on a lot of medications when she was younger and I remember our father took her to the doctor trying to ween her off,” Scott said, recalling use of bipolar medications, among others."

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/articles/daughter-wife-mother-in-turmoil/